MM 48

A week passed by smoothly, like water flowing.

The relief from having safely visited Do-won’s house was short-lived, as it was now Yu-young’s turn. However, the pressure was much less compared to last week. Do-won had already met his father once, and the warm reception from his mother was something that could be expected without seeing it firsthand. It was just a matter of having a light meal and leaving.

And Yu-young’s expectations were perfectly on point. When she heard that the two were coming, Yu-young’s mother had everything ready and was even waiting outside to greet them. As soon as she saw Do-won get out of the driver’s seat, her eyes widened in a way Yu-young had never seen before.

“Hello, Mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Do-won greeted her with a polite bow, smiling gently, and Yu-young’s mother, with a girlish expression, cupped her face with both hands.

“Oh my, my goodness… How is it that you’re such a tall, handsome young man?”

“Mother, please…”

Yu-young, embarrassed, tried to give a subtle warning to his mother, but it was of no use. His mother, in an excited state, rushed over and grabbed Do-won’s hand, looking up at him. Only then did she release his hand and blush furiously.

“This is the first time Yu-young has brought someone like this over… I got so excited, I’m sorry. It must have been uncomfortable.”

“Haha, not at all, Mother.”

“You have such a lovely voice… Ah, wait, what am I doing? Leaving the guest standing there. Come, let’s go inside and talk.”

After the loud greetings, the two of them could finally enter the house. Yu-young’s father, who had been waiting inside, greeted them with a smile. Following his mother’s suggestion to eat first, the four of them went into the dining room. The table was filled with a spread of food that rivaled what Yu-young had received last week.

“Come in, come in. There’s no need to worry, just eat as much as you like.”

“It’s not that. There’s so much, I’m not sure where to start, but I’ll eat it happily.”

Do-won answered with a charming response and began eating politely. Yu-young’s mother looked at him with a pleased expression, as though she was already full just from watching him eat. His father had the same expression. Yu-young couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The atmosphere during the meal was always pleasant. In the warm mood, his parents casually asked Do-won a few questions. Fortunately, the questions were not too intrusive, so Yu-young could relax as well.

However, when Yu-young’s father heard that Do-won’s father was the CEO of KS Construction, his expression turned half-surprised, half-skeptical.

“Wait, but… why are you working outside your father’s company?”

That was actually something Yu-young had been curious about as well. But he hadn’t asked, thinking there must be some reason for it. Do-won answered with a gentle smile.

“There are many things to learn under my father, but for now, I wanted to build my own experience independently.”

“Ah, I see. That’s admirable.”

When I said I wanted to be independent, it caused a huge fuss. Yu-young subtly glared at his father, but his father pretended not to notice.

After finishing the meal, they moved to the living room for fruit and tea. Yu-young found himself unknowingly relaxing as the tension from the meal eased. Just as he was about to pick up a piece of fruit, his mother, with a careful expression, looked at Do-won and asked a question.

“Um… This might be a bit of a burden, but… ho ho.”

“It’s fine. Please feel free to ask.”

With a gentle smile, Do-won reassured her, and his mother, in a carefree tone, asked.

“Do you… by any chance, think about marrying our Yu-young? If so, when…?”

“Mother!”

Yu-young gasped and quickly gave a look to his mother. It was an expected question, but hearing it in person made his heart drop.

“W-well, we’ve only just met recently!”

“Still, both of you are of the right age, so I thought I’d ask. Don’t feel too burdened about it.”

While covering her mouth and laughing shyly, his mother didn’t back down. His father also chimed in gently from the side.

“Well, it’s the same with other children of KS Group, isn’t it? People around me say that if they’re in their early 30s, they marry them off. And since you are an Alpha and Omega, it’s easier to find stability by marking each other. It might sound old-fashioned, but that’s just the way society is now.”

“That’s true.”

Unlike the flustered Yu-young, Do-won remained calm and composed.

“Yu-young and I are, of course, dating with marriage in mind. However, as Yu-young mentioned, we are still in the stage of getting to know each other carefully, so I’d appreciate it if you could watch over us with patience.”

His tone was reliable. It was the same firm yet soft voice he used naturally to lead his team at work. Yu-young could feel his surprised and flustered feelings slowly calming down. His parents also nodded slowly in understanding.

“Ah, I see. I’ve just been a little too eager. I really didn’t want to let go of such a great match for a son-in-law.”

“Haha, you’re too kind.”

“I won’t rush you, but make sure you two enjoy your time together. And while you’re at it, come by occasionally to show your faces.”

“Just call me, and I’ll always come running with a grateful heart.”

At Do-won’s charming reply, Yu-young’s mother smiled happily. Yu-young’s father also had the same expression. Throughout the entire warm atmosphere, Yu-young felt relieved, but a part of him felt conflicted. The fact that this wasn’t real but an act weighed heavily on his conscience, and he also felt guilty about his parents being completely unaware.

But there was nothing to be done. The act had already begun, and it was for everyone’s benefit to keep it going until the end without anyone finding out. With that thought, Yu-young steeled himself once more.

“Well, we’ll be heading off now. Thank you very much for your warm hospitality, Mother.”

“Ho ho ho. Let’s meet again soon! Get home safely!”

Yu-young’s mother, who had accompanied them to the front door, tightly grasped Do-won’s hands and patted them repeatedly. Do-won, without showing any signs of displeasure, held her hands with a smiling face.

“Ahem, and…”

Yu-young’s father also extended his hand toward Do-won. When Do-won respectfully took it, his father hesitated, his lips trembling before speaking in a low voice.

“This may sound a bit awkward, but… please take good care of our Yu-young.”

Yu-young, who had been trying to hurry Do-won out of the situation, froze for a moment and stared at his father. The voice he heard from his father was unfamiliar.

A sudden lump rose in his throat. Before Do-won could say anything, Yu-young tightly gripped his arm and pulled him away.

“Ah, Father. We should go now.”

“Right, right. I’m getting old, and I’m being foolish. You should leave before it gets dark.”

As they were seeing them off, Yu-young got into Do-won’s car. For some reason, the warmth he had felt earlier seemed to settle in his chest, making it hard for him to look back.

“…Let’s go quickly.”

Yu-young bit his lip and lowered his head. Silently, they drove home. As they did, Yu-young felt the emotions from earlier rise again. It seemed that lying didn’t quite suit him.

For a while, he stared out the window without saying a word, letting out a sigh. He had been trying to fool everyone, to deceive both sets of parents while pretending to be in a relationship with the team leader. He had succeeded in fooling them as planned, so he should be happy. Yet, he couldn’t figure out why he felt so uneasy.

Come to think of it, this temporary alliance with Do-won was now over. He had managed to successfully make their parents recognize their relationship.

Now, his parents wouldn’t bother him with matchmaking or kidnapping him for dates. Do-won’s situation was unclear, but it seemed that he wouldn’t be forced into marriage either.

They could pretend to be happily dating, fool everyone for a while, and when enough time had passed, they could simply break up, citing differences in personalities. Things might get troublesome afterward, but at least for a few months or even years, he could live comfortably.

The temporary alliance with him had come to an end. Yu-young looked at the outside scenery as he entered his home’s underground parking lot. After parking, he was about to turn around to say goodbye when Do-won’s large hand covered his.

“…Team leader?”

He didn’t say anything. He just transferred his warm touch to Yu-young’s palm, silently staring at him. Yu-young could feel his heart racing from the sudden sensation. His nerves instantly sharpened. In an instant, the pheromones thickened around him, and Yu-young flinched, quickly retracting his pheromones.

However, Do-won didn’t seem to be trying to make any other kind of contact. He simply held Yu-young’s hand, gazing at him with deep eyes. After a long while, he let go of his hand and spoke softly.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

What? Was he just waiting to say that? Yu-young, still staring at him, slowly nodded.

“You too, Team Leader. And… I know my initial request was too much, and it must have been a burden, but thank you for agreeing.”

“It’s fine. After all, I benefited from it too.”

With that, Do-won gave him an intense look.

“Don’t be upset, take a good rest. I’ll see you on Monday.”

After saying that, Do-won got out of the car. Yu-young, still dazed, followed suit and got out of the car. They took the elevator up together and went to their respective homes. When Yu-young opened the door and stepped inside, he was lost in thought, reflecting on what he had just heard.

“Don’t be upset, take a good rest,” he had said.

‘What is this? Why does this feel so strange…’

Was it because he had seen him feeling conflicted earlier? He hadn’t said anything in the car, so was that what was bothering him? The more he spent time with Do-won, the more unfamiliar sides of him were showing.

He didn’t know. His thoughts were complicated, but at least, it seemed like things would be easier to deal with than just a few days ago when he had hated his boss so much.

Well, starting tomorrow, he would be free from this strange alliance and return to being just a regular team leader and team member. Thinking like that, everything that had happened felt like a dream.

After a shower, Yu-young snuggled into bed and opened a familiar photo book. Come to think of it, his favorite photographer had said they were releasing a new photo book. How long had it been since the last one? Remembering the message he had received a few days ago about the new release, Yu-young pulled the blanket up to his chin with a light heart.